Page 107 of Fire and Ice

"The DEA wants something they say you had taken from the lab." Viktor shrugged. "Of course I could tell them because of your amnesia you have no idea what they're talking about."

"Fuck, if I give that up," Maia retorted showing spirit for the first time since she'd woken up. "What, they couldn't find it on any of the salvageable computers?"

Viktor shook his head.

Jack closed his eyes in resignation.

"What is it?" Derek asked curiously.

"We have to give them something," Viktor said.

"It should be with my personal stuff. Ask the nurse. But make a copy of it, we can use it for leverage."

"Against who? Reznikov is dead," Derek said.

Viktor cleared his throat. Maia's eyes widened and she mumbled apologetically to her boss. "Sorry, my brain is still addled."

"I'll go ask for it at the nurse's station," Viktor said as he left the room.

"Babe," Jack said in a calm, reasonable voice as he approached the bed, "This didn't end with Reznikov, did it?"

Maia shook her head.

Jack's jaw clenched in frustration as Derek muttered a string of curses.

"It's okay, babe," Jack said gently as he tucked a stray curl behind Maia's ear. "We'll talk about this later. I want you to rest."

A few minutes later, Viktor came back waving a few sheets of paper triumphantly. "Got it. Great job, Maia."

Jack walked up to Viktor, "A word, please." And he walked out the room.

When they were out of earshot from Maia, Jack whirled on the older man and thumped him twice on the chest.

"You are a dick, do you know that?" Jack said through gritted teeth.

"I know," Viktor said coldly. "And I warn you not to lay a hand on me again."

"Maia thinks the world of you, but you treat her like a fucking pawn in your crusade against God knows what. She almost died yesterday and you can't wait to see what you can get out of her? You're no better than a leech."

"She's tougher than she looks. You forget, I've known her for eighteen years, you've known her for what? Two weeks? And most of your knowledge of her you've learned between the sheets," Viktor sneered.

"Fuck you, Viktor," Jack hissed aware of the stares they were attracting from the medical personnel milling around the hallway.

"I will concede that Maia needs to recover her strength," Viktor said quietly. "She's got a couple of weeks of rest at least. I suggest you get to know the woman she is rather than bubble wrap her away from the world she knows. She is what she is, you can't change her. If you can't accept that you better walk away now."

"Are you trying to scare me off?" Jack challenged.

"I like you, Jack, I really do," Viktor said. "You have an idea of the life we lead and if you back off from your overprotectiveness, things will be easier for everyone."

"You mean you," Jack bit out tersely.

Viktor gave a short derisive laugh. "Jack, as I've said you've only known Maia for a little over two weeks. I don't care if you're a God in bed, I warn you not to get between Maia and her job. And that means not making her choose between you and me, because you'll always lose."

With that, Viktor turned around and headed back to Maia's room.

Jack stood in the hallway trying to regain control of an overwhelming fury. He itched to wipe that sneer off of Viktor's face with his fists but he didn't want to cause a scene in the hospital and add to Maia's distress. It did kind of sting that Viktor was right that he had only known Maia for a short time, but it was wrong of him to insinuate that his only connection to her was sex. He wanted more from her than that, he wanted her body and soul. He wanted her heart.

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